In recent years, we have already shared our assessment of the e-learning trends for the coming year with you. Of course, we want to maintain this tradition and are presenting you with our top e-learning methods and use cases for digital training for 2023 again this year.
We have already mentioned on several occasions in this blog that videos and blended learning have been the frontrunners among digital learning methods for years. The current trend study by the mmb Institute also shows that digital learning continues to gain in relevance. The top forms of learning have hardly changed compared to the previous year. That is why we want to focus less on concrete content-related methods this year. It should be about ways in which professional development can be integrated into the work context and how you, as a person responsible for training, can create the conditions for this.
E-Learning Methods for 2023: Which Trends Remain Relevant?
Keyword: Lifelong learning! In the meantime, further education no longer means sitting in a conference room for a day and then going home without any learning effect. Professional development is becoming an integral part of everyday work and is not ticked off with a single event. We want to constantly develop further and therefore also need enough learning content that we can access when the need arises. Preferably digitally and permanently. In addition, Covid-19 has more or less pushed us into digital learning, making professional development more digital and flexible. No wonder that in recent years, more and more e-learning methods have established themselves that target exactly this aspect of flexibility.
Which e-learning method is right for you, of course, always depends on your purpose – after all, not all e-learning is the same! Apart from classics like blended learning, the following methods stand out for us:
1. Microlearning
Due to TikTok and co., our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. That's why microlearning has been one of the leading digital learning methods for years. The advantage? Short, self-contained learning units that can be accessed anytime and anywhere! It does not matter whether the learning content is a short text, a video, or a quiz – however, it should take a maximum of 2 to 5 minutes to complete.
Microlearning can also be combined with other trends and is suitable for almost any professional development topic. We have summarized how you can implement your own microlearning in our ultimate microlearning guide.
2. On demand Learning
Many employees often lack the time to participate in professional development in a focused manner. Nevertheless, it is still common in many companies to rely on full-day seminars. As a suitable complement to microlearning (AND in the spirit of lifelong learning), it is therefore ideal to learn "on the go." That is, whenever it fits into the schedule. Regardless of which device is currently at hand.
The learning process takes place online on a corresponding learning platform. This is how you, as the person responsible for professional development, can guarantee that your learning content is bundled and really accessible always and everywhere.
3. Hybrid Learning
Since Covid-19, we have said goodbye to mass events in some areas. Major business trips for seminars or conferences are being eliminated more and more often. After all, these do not necessarily have to take place on-site – or at least not with the entire team. This not only saves travel time but is also resource-efficient. Hybrid models are becoming increasingly popular. No wonder this trend is also showing up in professional development.
In hybrid learning, course participants often split into in-person and online participants from the very beginning. In live sessions, the absent participants are simply connected digitally into the seminar room. Both groups of participants can, of course, also participate in asynchronous online content independently of each other.
Digital Learning in 2023: Create the Conditions
The learning methods presented have a few things in common: They all target short, flexible learning units that do not tie learners to a fixed location. With the following measures, those responsible for professional development can support employees in the company-internal learning process:
Learning culture: Create conditions for digital professional development in the company so that learning becomes a central part of everyday work. Become a role model yourself and make the learning culture visible.
Self-determination: Say goodbye to predefined, self-contained training offers. Let employees decide on learning times, learning locations, and learning content themselves – entirely in the sense of self-organized learning.
Flexibility: Learning must happen in the right environment and at the right time. Exactly when it is needed and fits into the schedule. Learning content that can be accessed at any time and from all devices supports this.
Technical requirements: To enable employees to learn when the need arises, technical hurdles must be overcome. After all, the focus is on the content. Questions like "What was my password again?" or "Do I have to download something for this?" should not even arise.
Suitable learning platform: To ensure that all learning materials can be collected in one bundled place, a learning platform or an LMS is very helpful. This should be easy to use – both for the learners and for you as the course instructor. Only in this way can everyone focus on the actual learning content.
6 E-Learning Topics that are Important for 2023
Finally, we would like to present six professional development formats and content topics that could play a central role in the coming year.
Soft Skill Training: In the coming years, soft skills in the areas of problem-solving, self-management, collaboration with others, and technical competence will become increasingly relevant. This is shown in a report by the World Economic Forum, which looks at the shift in required soft skills over the past five years.
User generated content: In everyday work, there is often little time to deal extensively with the design of training concepts. Therefore, it is a good idea to use existing knowledge from the team and let employees create learning content themselves.
Social Learning: At its core, learning is always social. Ultimately, it is often about exchanging ideas with one another and learning from one another. This also works in the work context, for example in small learning groups that meet regularly.
Personalized learning content: We learn best when learning content fits our tasks and requirements. Therefore, it is worth it for those responsible for training to go this extra mile. Because this increases learning success!
Adaptive learning: Here, too, the principle of individual learning content applies. In contrast to personalized learning, you only provide a selection of learning content. Your learners build their own training course from this that fits their needs and questions.
Learning Journey: Learning paths help your learners to achieve the set goals. In doing so, it is important to focus on both learning phases and transfer phases – only in this way can optimal knowledge transfer succeed in everyday work.
Conclusion
As you can see: This year, we are encountering many e-learning methods that we already know from previous years. An important change is, above all, the focus on individual learners. Pre-made, standardized courses are a thing of the past! In the future, learners will decide for themselves what and how they learn. Only in this way does professional development fulfill its purpose.
